Method of sealing cans



Aug. 6, 1929. SEBELL 1,723,304

METHOD OF SEALING CANS Filed Feb. 8, 1928 Fig.1. I

Fig.2.

Fig.6.

'lnvenfor. I

Hurry SebeH Patented Aug. 6, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. A

HARRY SEBELL, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGN'OR TO ARTHUR H. PARKER, 01'

' LEXINGTON, IMIASSACI-IUSETTS. 7

METHOD OF SEALING CANS.

Application filed February 8, 1528. Serial No. 252,863.

This invention relates to the sealing of tin 1 cans and other similar containers and it has for its object to provide novel methodfor accomplishing this end. The features wherein the invention resides will be apparent from the following description of one method of practising the invention.

, In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a can cover in one of its formative stages; Fig. 2 is a sectional view of said can cover in a subsequent formative stage,

Fig. 3 is a sectional view illustrating the manner in which the .can cover and can are assembled V a Fig. iillustrates the process offorcing the y can cover into the can and sealing it; Fig. 5 is a sectional view illustrating the completely sealed can. a Fig. 6 is a plan view illustrating the man- 20 ner in which the sealing strip is applied.

Before describing the process of sealing the can I will refer to the sealed can which exhibits the resultof the process. The can body is indicated at land it is provided at its upper end with an outwardly-directed flange 2. The cover for the body is indicated generally at 3. Said cover is of the panel variety, that is, it is formed with an upstanding curb 4 which fits within the open end of the can so that the body of the cover is below the top of the can making a sort of panel effect. The cover is formed not only with the upstanding curb 4. but with the double clamping flange 5 which extends laterally in an outward direction from the upper end of the curb 4 and also with a sealing flange 6 which rests on the flange 2 of the can body. The sealed can also includes a U-shaped sealing strip 7 which embraces the sealing flange 6 of the cover and the body flange 2, the upper leg of the U-shaped sealing strip 6 being clamped between the seal ing flange 6 and the clamping flange 5.

An advantage of this manner of sealing the can is that the clamping flange 5 is a double flange and has, therefore, suflicient stiffness and rigidity to hold itself in clamping engagement with the sealing strip. An other advantage is that the clamping flange 5 presents a folded edge instead of a cut edge, the out edge of the cover being at the periphery of the sealing flange 6 and being enclosed within the sealing strip 7.

My present invention relates to a novel method of forming a seal of this character.

The body 1 of the can is formed in usual way with the laterally-extending flange 2, the novel feature of the invention relating to the manner of forming and manipulating the cover or closure 3. The cover 3 is formed from a circular blank of sheet metal of the The nextstep is to bend the skirt -5) to form therein an annular groove 10, said groove being so formed that the side 11 of the groove 10 is substantially the same width as the upper outwardly-extending portion 8 of the cover. After the cover has reached :the formative stage shown in Fig. 2 then it is assembled with the can body 1 as shown in Fig. 3, said cover being positioned directly over the can body so that the curb 4 can be forced into the can body. At this time the lower edge 12 of the deformed skirt 9 rests on the body flange 2. The U-shaped sealing strip 7 is then applied to the can by placing one leg thereof beneath the body flange 2 and the other leg in the groove 10 as shown in Fig. 3 and the cover is then forced into the can in any suitable way, as by means of a plunger 14 acting on the cover, and during this operation. the flange 2 and the outwardly-extending portion 8 of the cover are squeezed together. This squeezing operation results in folding the portion 11 of the skirt which constitutes the upper side of the groove 10 against the outwardly-extending portion 8 thereby to make the double flange 5 and it also results in folding the said double flange down onto the upper leg of the U-shaped sealing strip 7 and at the same time causingthe sealing strip to be clamped about the lower portion 13 of the skirt which at this time is forced down into contact with the flange 2 and forms the sealing flange 6.

The application of the sealing strip 7 and the squeezing together of the outwardly exportion 8.

tending portion 8 of the cover and the flange 2 of the body is preferably performed progressively. This may be done by rotating the can and feeding the sealing strip 7 into position as the can rotates and employing suitable rolls 20, 21 which act on the portion 8 of the cover and on the under side of the sealing strip to squeeze said parts together to effect a final sealing operation.

Before the cover is applied to the can I propose to coat the under face of the portion 13 of the skirt with a suitable sealing compound or material. This sealing compound may be carried in a volatile liquid as a vehicle and when it is applied to the under face of the part 13 the liquid vehicle will readily evaporate leaving the sealing compound as a deposit. In making the groove 10 the skirt is bent so that the apex of the groove comes against the curb 4: and thus the lower portion 13 of the skirt and the curb 4 form together a Vshaped groove in which the sealing compound may be readily placed. The lower portion 13 of the skirt constitutes the sealing flange 6 when the can is completely sealed and by having the under face of the sealing flange coated with a sealing compound it is possible to make a perfectly tight joint.

According to my present method the curb 4 and the top ply of the double flange 5 are formed in the initial step of the process as shown in Fig. 2 and the final clamping of the sealing strip 6 into place is done by a folding of the skirt portion 9, the first step being forming the groove 10 as above described and the subsequent steps involving squeezing the portion 8 and the body flange 2 toward each other to cause the skirt to be folded into the shape shown in Fig 5 and to complete the sealing operation.

I claim.

The method of sealing a can having a can body provided with a laterally-extcnding flange at its open end, said method comprising shaping a circular sheet metal disk to form a cover member having an upstanding curb of a size to fit into the open end of the can and with an outwardly extending portion at the upper end of the curb and a depending skirt at the outer edge of the outwardly extending portion and encircling the curb, deforming the skirt by forming therein an annular V-shaped groove, assembling the cover member and can body with the curb in position to be forced into the open end of the can body, applying a U-shaped sealing strip which embraces the flange of the can bodyand the lower portion of said skirt, forcing the curb of the cover member into the can body and pressing the outwardly extending portion of the cover member toward the flange of the can body, thereby to clamp the U-shaped sealing strip onto the flange of the can body and the lower portion of the deformed skirt and to fold the outwardlyextending portion of the cover and upper portion of the deformed skirt against the upper leg of the sealing strip.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

HARRY SEBELL. 

